Recommendation
The ISW recommends that students maintain a language portfolio. The learning objectives of the ISW’s courses refer to the competence levels from the European Council’s reference framework.
What is the European Language Portfolio (ELP)?
The ESP is a collection of individual documents in which everyone can continuously document their knowledge of (foreign) languages as part of their language biography. These include, for example, self-assessments of skills, certificates and their own works in foreign languages.
These documents and texts are collected in a special folder, which includes the corresponding classifications. This folder is entitled:
European Language Portfolio, Higher Education/Portfolio européen des langues, Education supérieure, ISBN 3—292—00276—1. Council of Europe accreditation number: 35.2002.
It can be ordered in a bilingual version (English / French) used throughout Europe from:
Schulverlag plus AG
Belpstr. 48
Postfach 366
3000 Bern 14
Phone: +41 58 268 14 14
Fax: +41 58 268 14 15
E-Mail: shopBE@schulverlag.ch
Web: http://www.schulverlag.ch
Self-assessment grid – European Council reference framework – Levels of proficiency
For the assessment of language competence in the context of the European Language Portfolio (ESP), an easy-to-use grid has been developed for self-assessment and assessment of foreign language skills. This frame of reference provides a simple and accurate description of listening, reading, speaking and writing skills.
The comments of the individual ISW courses will increasingly use the gradations of this frame of reference to describe the learning objectives.
Try using this grid to define your level of proficiency in the various foreign languages.
You can find this grid here: Self-assessment grid
Who developed the European Language Portfolio (ELP)?
The ELP is a project of the Eurpoean Council. It was developed between 1998 and 2000 by the Language Policy Division of the Eurpoean Council and was launched throughout Europe in 2001, the European Year of Languages, as a means of promoting multilingualism and cultural diversity. Moreover it enables students to document their language skills in a comparable way, this is useful e.g. for mobility in the context of the Bologna Process.
Further information on the European Language Portfolio:
http://www.sprachenportfolio.ch/
